SUPREME COURT CD-ROM: This greatest-hits collection includes 50 major law cases

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supremes have a new greatest-hits collection, but don't expect to hear Diana Ross. The featured vocalists are Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, the late Justice William J. Brennan and other current and past members of the nation's highest court.

"The Supreme Court's Greatest Hits" is a CD-ROM compiled by a Northwestern University political science professor, with recordings of oral arguments in 50 major cases dating back to 1957, plus texts of the court's opinions and graphics showing how the justices voted.

Anyone with a computer and the proper software can hear:

* The late Justice Felix Frankfurter sparring with a lawyer in an obscenity case.

* Watergate special prosecutor Leon Jaworski arguing for release of the Nixon tapes.

And then there was the joke that went as flat as a pancake during the argument in the 1973 Roe vs. Wade abortion-rights case.

After Sarah Weddington finished arguing and took her seat beside co-counsel Linda N. Coffee, assistant Texas attorney general Jay Floyd took the podium and said, "It's an old joke, but when a man argues against two beautiful ladies like this, they're going to have the last word."

He was met with dead silence.

"That's the power of the audio," says Jerry Goldman, the Northwestern political science professor who compiled the CD-ROM using Supreme Court audiotapes available through the National Archives. The court was not involved in the project.

"I wanted it to be easy to use," Goldman said. "I wanted it to be accessible, authoritative, and if I could make it engaging, great."

Users of the CD-ROM can listen to the full oral argument in 50 cases and decision announcements in many of them. Arguments are an hour long - or two hours in cases before 1969 - so there's a guide to help listeners zip to high points.

While listening to an argument, users can read the court's written opinion or see a picture of the justices who decided that case, with highlights showing who voted in the majority and who voted in dissent.

Listeners can click on a voice sample of each justice, so they can tell who is speaking during an argument. And there are biographies of the 26 justices who sat on the 50 cases.

The CD-ROM is an offshoot of the "Oyez" Web site created by Goldman three years ago. Visitors to the site can listen to more than 800 Supreme Court arguments since 1955, when tape recording be-gan at the court.

The court decided in 1993 to let virtually anyone get copies of the argument recordings from the National Archives after another law professor put out a set of cassette tapes with excerpts from high court arguments. No television cameras are allowed in the courtroom.

In choosing the 50 cases, Goldman said, "I tried to identify core cases I thought would be included in a two-semester course in constitutional law."

There are some gems. When Frankfurter peppers an attorney with questions in the 1957 obscenity case, "He's just so crotchety," Goldman said. "You know that's a tough guy to please."

When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivered the 1996 opinion that required Virginia Military Institute to admit women students or give up public funding, "She spoke to the American public ... and brought the decision into lay terms," Goldman said.

"I titled it the 'Greatest Hits' because I wanted to make this mostly inaccessible institution accessible," Goldman said.

The CD-ROM can be purchased for $29.95 from the Northwestern University Press or through the Association of American University Presses catalog at aaup.uchicago.edu on the Internet. The Northwestern University Press can be reached at (800) 621-2736.

High court sides with company in ruling WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court on Tuesday sent the Microsoft antitrust case to an appeals court, effectively delaying efforts by the government to break the software giant into two parts. The decision amounted to a tactical ... [Read More...]

History made as high court questions Bush, Gore lawyers WASHINGTON - In a legal drama for the history books, Supreme Court justices pointedly questioned lawyers for the long-count presidential combatants Friday, seemingly divided over whether to intervene and throw out hand-counted Florida ballots ... [Read More...]

John Roberts Sandra Day O'Connor WASHINGTON The Supreme Court opens its term Monday with a young new leader, a veteran justice eager to retire and a calendar packed with contentious issues such as abortion, assisted suicide and capital punishment. For the first time ... [Read More...]

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor waits to speak Monday at Arizona State University's School of Law in Tempe, Ariz. Matt York | Associated Press U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor waits to speak at the American Judicature Society's Dwight ... [Read More...]